What can the "truly" average American citizen realistically do to help save the earth?

Question

I'm asking for suggestions that the typical person could do on a regular basis to either reduce his/her negative impact on pollution/natural resources/global warming AND/OR assist in conservation or the replenishment of such resources.

Maybe a list of 10 simple things one can do every day to help out.

Answer 1

Ten simple things you can do to help the "Earth":

1) Recycle
2) Purchase only "energy star" appliances
3) shower outdoors with a solar-heated shower
4) Use only recycled products
5) Eat organic
6) Be certain your insulation is properly installed
7) Use public transportation
8) Turn the water off when brushing your teeth
9) Only wash full loads of dishes/laundry
10) Air-dry your clothes rather than using a dryer

Answer 2

We have been discussing all this since the 60's.
1. Get the facts, if you can find the truth.
2.Clean up your own backyard, spiritually, mentally and physically
3. Recycle and reuse
4. Drive smaller vehicles, remember once the oil is gone that all there is folks. Wake up.
5. Dont water lawns.
6. Turn off lights and other things in rooms you are not in or using.
7. Don't Pollute, or litter and pick up litter when you see it, not just walk by it.
8. Treat the land as sacred, not as it doesn't matter, the Earth is a living thing. Respect it and it will respect you.
9. What you give out comes back to you. Replant things you remove if possible.
10. If you kill animals for food, use all of it. dont waste food, only take what you need for survival.
11. Ignorance, Greed and hate is the destructive force behind all waste and destruction. Take heed and get educated. You don't need a college degree to do that.
Go to Care2.com if you want to read more about what you can do.!!!

Answer 3

1-3) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Anyone can do this and it makes a difference.
4)Share the ride. Rather than five people driving to the same work from the same neighborhood, share the car. It saves money, too!
5)Volunteer. Look around, there are cleanups and such all the time.
6)Be aware. Know what you use, what you pollute with, that sort of thing. Awareness is the first step to change.
7)Be loud. Write letters to politicians. Write letters to big companies that pollute or don't recycle. Even though it seems insignificant, it really can make a difference.
8-10)Use your imagination! Create park cleanup days. Protect greenspace. Anything that you can think of to help is wonderful!

Answer 4

In addition to the sensible responses requiring personal action such as r"educe, reuse, recycle," a truly average American might become politically active on some level.

Make it a political issue - 'till then nothing significant will be done because the mess has taken a long time to create and the solutions will take a long time and significant commitment. The long time frame inherently associated with these issues makes it inherently unattractive to politicians who are inclined to focus on issues that have near-term solutions that, if they could be so lucky, would fit nicely within his/her election/re-election cycle.

The occassional issue requiring long-term planning/attention that does garner significant attention (i.e., becomes part of the political discourse) does so because sizeable groups of constituents force the issue, e.g., baby-boomer type issues such as social security.

The significance of your impact is largely up to you. You can run for office or participate in an election campaign - reflecting a serious commitment. You may choose, instead, to limit your involvement to engaging people in discussions at the water cooler. Either way, you are engaging yourself in trying to make an impact regarding issues for which you care about. That, friends, is definitely a good thing.

Answer 5

Use a bicycle or walk instead of consuming so much gas.

Car pools

Plant a tree

Recycling plastic and paper makes a huge impact.

Turn off lights when you leave a room

Never leave hot water running

Boycott McDonalds

As unfortunate as it may be, pick up other people's litter

All of the above may sound small and trivial but the more people that become aware and start acting on it, the larger the impact.

Answer 6

We the people work like red ants lol.
1 bite won't kill you but the entire colony working together.......

1. Get informed,get educated..
Grocery and clothes shopping does make an impact.
http://www.labourstart.com
This site will give you an overview of what companies treat their people like crap.
http://www.greenpeace.com
This site will help you discover what companies treat Mother Nature like crap.
2 Reorganise your garden.
This sounds stupid but a lot of people look for pretty flowers in their garden.
But we should look for a fruittree, prefferably one that's a native species.
Native plants often need less pesticides.
And eating more fresh fruits will change peoples health.
And yes little bugs will also eat your fruits but we need little bugs to.
I've found a lot of Native Americans also have healing herbs like wormwood in their garden.
3. E mail get into action and write e mail to all who's concerned.
There are loads of online action groups that have webpages asking for people to help them and send 1 e mail.
http://www.storewars.org
Would really like your help for instance.
4. Seperate your waste.
Throw it away nicely.
Glass with glass plastics with plastics batteries in a seperate box etc.
Makes recycling so much more easy and clean.
5. Turn your raw veggies into compost.
Stop chemical fertilisation.
We can't force Mother Nature to do things in any other pass than she plans to, we might just aswell stop fighting her and start help her do things her way.
We can't just take from the land without giving back.
And what's left in your coffee filter when you're done making coffee is rainwormcandy.
So just emptying your coffee filter on a patch of land instead of a wastebag could change stuff.^
6. Get your clothes from materials made by Mother Nature.
It's less sweaty on your body.( just a small change in a small enviroment but often highly appreciated)
But fleece and nylon are petrochemical products and highly flammable.
7. When you buy equipment ask for low energy use.
Ask howmany batteries stuff uses over time.
Ask for stuff to help you use less energy.
Ask if they have it without batteries or with rechargeable batteries.
The widescreen plasma tv you see these days is an energy gobbler.
Use less energy also good for your electricbills.
The asking will also make the industry aware that we really want some changes.
9 Smile,give a true smile to a stranger every day.
That might be just the little pick me up he needs to go on.
And it sounds simple but beeing truely nice to someone can make such a difference.
And it doesn't cost a dime.

Well i'm sorry i can''t cook up more than 9 points but hope it helps you anyway.

Answer 7

Absolute torture, although the welcome mat is merely underfoot. The mat is so effective how can those dirty previous shoes step in this new mat? If my ft are sparkling sufficient then off with the dirty shoes and onto the mat with bare ft. the overall citizen is welcomed, although, too a lot knocking will save the draw close from establishing the door. One has develop right into a beggar at this element. What to do? sit down on the mat, wait and be silent. countless peace.. Mudslinger

Answer 8

Start with a "it begins with me attitude"
Limit your use of fossal fuel energy, there are many ways to do this.
Recycle
Make your area better and get in shape at the same time, go for a walk and pick up litter and put it where it belongs
Speak out, write your newspaper, let everybody know that it begins with them.
plant a tree.
There are many other things to make your world and everybody elses better. But it does truly begin with you.

Answer 9

Start small, stay humble, focus on your goals and not how other people perceive your goals. Don't force your opinions or beliefs. Act in accordance to your values and not the effect. Above all know that one person makes a difference by following their convictions and not rewards.

Answer 10

Shower instead of bath
Boycott products with too much packaging
Share car journeys
Recycle
Switch off lights when not in room

Avoid putting any more Bushes in the White House!